diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index f0031fc19eab8..4132eeca42710 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -20,14 +20,13 @@ build --flag_alias=headless=//common:headless
 
 # Set the default java toolchain
 
-build --java_language_version=17
-build --java_runtime_version=remotejdk_17
-build --tool_java_language_version=17
-build --tool_java_runtime_version=remotejdk_17
-
-# We target java 11 by default
-
-build --javacopt="--release 11"
+# This is the version of Java used by Selenium's build and tooling.
+# We use a transition in `export.bzl` to set the version of Java we
+# target for the binaries we ship to 11.
+build --java_language_version=21
+build --java_runtime_version=remotejdk_21
+build --tool_java_language_version=21
+build --tool_java_runtime_version=remotejdk_21
 
 # Require java dependencies to be used and first-order
 
diff --git a/MODULE.bazel b/MODULE.bazel
index ffb74a8cfbaf4..9c688dd468dd2 100644
--- a/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/MODULE.bazel
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ bazel_dep(name = "rules_pkg", version = "0.10.1")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_python", version = "0.33.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_proto", version = "6.0.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_ruby", version = "0.13.0")
+bazel_dep(name = "with_cfg.bzl", version = "0.6.0")
 
 linter = use_extension("@apple_rules_lint//lint:extensions.bzl", "linter")
 linter.configure(
diff --git a/java/private/export.bzl b/java/private/export.bzl
index 1d3e9b0498b46..0e60a8f966b69 100644
--- a/java/private/export.bzl
+++ b/java/private/export.bzl
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@ load(
 load("@rules_jvm_external//private/rules:maven_bom_fragment.bzl", "maven_bom_fragment")
 load("@rules_jvm_external//private/rules:maven_project_jar.bzl", "maven_project_jar")
 load("@rules_jvm_external//private/rules:maven_publish.bzl", "maven_publish")
-load("//java/private:module.bzl", "java_module")
+load("@with_cfg.bzl", "with_cfg")
+load("//java/private:module.bzl", _java_module = "java_module")
+
+_builder = with_cfg(_java_module)
+_builder.set("java_language_version", "11").set("java_runtime_version", "remotejdk_11")
+java_module, _ = _builder.build()
 
 def java_export(
         name,